Software development or programming is not easy until you are a hardcore programmer. A while back, programmers had to code on dull command prompt screens, run the code on a separate compiler then debug it on some third platform. Today, although, programming needs the same dedication and efforts, it has become easier to code, compile, and debug in the same environment. All thanks to IDE-Integrated Development Environment platforms, which enable coders to perform all the major functions of programming in one place.
What is IDE?
IDE is an abbreviation for Integrated Development Environment. What does it mean, what are its features and how is it beneficial? Find it here.
Software development services today use IDE platforms to program and develop solutions. An IDE comes with an inbuilt source code editor, compiler, and debugger. It makes programming 10 times easier, accurate, and effective. The code is written on the source code editor, the compiler is for running the programs and the debugger notifies the errors in the code. Besides these three main features, IDE also consists of object and data modeling, unit testing, the source code library, and a lot more.
Some of the popular IDEs are for languages like Python, Java, C, C++, R, PHP etc. and have inbuilt intelligent features that can complete the code on their own! Isn’t it amazing? Of course yes.
The available IDEs have helped programmers to reduce their efforts and make the process faster.
Here are some IDEs which are trending in 2020.
Visual Studio
Visual Studio ranked on the top in the most popular integrated development environment survey by Stackflow. Well, it made its position not just like that but because of many extravagant features like customized functions, keyword shortcuts, quick and efficient compiler, etc. Visual Studio by Microsoft is that one IDE that has enabled programmers across the world with swift coding and effective results. From easy installation to intelligent code completion, Visual Studio offers the right package to make programming in C, C++, C#, CSS, Go, HTML, Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP, TypeScript, etc. hassle-free.
It offers:
- Support for Debugging
- Syntax highlighting
- Intelligent Code completion, snippets, and code refactoring
- Embedded Git Control
- Complete portability
- Easy customization
Eclipse
Initially used for Java programming, Eclipse is another famous IDE that is now also used for C, C++, Python, COBOL, Perl, PHP etc. It is another favourite platform as it is open source and runs on various OS like Windows, MAC and Linux. The programmers can also report the bug on Eclipse’s official website if they experience any issue while using the platform. Eclipse rolled out its latest version 4.15 in March 2020 and will soon release the next update in coming months.
It offers:
- User friendly graphical Interface with drag-and-drop functionality
- Supports static code analysis
- Intelligent code completion
- Productivity Boosters
- Git integration
- Cross-platform support
- Rich Community
Netbeans
Netbeans IDE is primarly used for programming in Java but it also offers extensions for PHP,C, C++, Javascript and HTML5. It is counted among one of the most popular IDEs because of its graphical user interface which provides extremely easy functions, convenient project templates, static and dynamic libraries. Also, the projects created on Netbeans can be seamlessly operated remotely anytime and anywhere.
It offers:
- Cross-platform support
- Rich set of plugins
- Supports multiple programming languages
- Simple and efficient project management
- Smart code editing
- Large support community
Aptana Studio 3
The leading web development IDE Aptana, was rebuilt to Aptana studio 3 to provide much better features to the users. Its latest version comes with a code assist for HTML5, Ruby, CSS, JavaScrit and PHP. Aptana Studio 3 also offers multiple protocols including FTP, SFTP, FTPS and Capistrano and automatically publishes your Ruby on Rails applications to hosting services. From a minor platform, the updated version has risen to a powerful web development engine supporting many useful features for the programmers.
Additional features include:
- You can collaborate with team members using merge, pull and push actions.
- It also facilitates git-based deployments.
- It quickly accesses a command line terminal for execution of operating system commands and language utilities such as gem, rake, etc.
- It allowes you to setup your development environment in your own way by extending the core capabilities through command customization.
PhPStorm
PHP is also a widely used programming language. Many youngsters today, want to learn and excel in this computer language. Php Storm is majorly for programming and web development in php but it extensively supports many other frontend languages like HTML 5, CSS, Sass, Less, JavaScript, and more. Major website development oftware like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Laravel, are also supported by PhpStorm
It’s main features are:
- Easy navigation
- Code auto-completion
- Inbuilt debugging and testing tools
- Quick and secure refactoring.
6. Pycharm
Pycharm is the Python IDE which also supports cross technology development in JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, Cython, SQL,HTML/CSS, template languages, AngularJS, Node.js, etc. Pycharm is popularly accepted by the programmers as it keeps control of the quality with PEP 8 checks, testing assistance, smart refactorings, and various rounds of inspections. It offers productive environment with minimum effort requirement.
Major features include:
- Intelligent code assistance like autocomplete,
quick checks, on-the-fly error highlighting - Offers web development frameworks like Django,
Flask, Web2py, Pyramid etc. - Supports multiple scientific packages including
matplotlib and NumPy. - You can Run, debug, test, and deploy applications
on remote hosts - Comes with built-in developer tools
Conclusion
Behind every error free code there is the involvement of an IDE. Integrated development environment is required for all types of software programming to create error free effective codes and convert these codes into a useful solution. Above mentioned IDEs are trending in 2020, there are many other platforms which are not mentioned here but are equally useful for many programmers. Choosing the right IDE for specific development is a tough task as each and every IDE comes with its own pros and cons. Reading the above mentioned features of IDEs will surely help you to become expert in distinguishing them on the basis of your requirements.